Zade

      I knew what Lena was trying to do. She was clearly trying to mark her territory, to show Carla that she owned me. But no one owns me, and I'd rather not be doing this right now because searching for Carla had been stressful enough before getting that call from the watch store.

When I broke the kiss, I glanced over at Carla. Her face was blank and there was no trace of jealousy or anger, and I knew that was what Lena expected to see when she looked over at Carla. I really wish Lena would be rational about this whole situation because for one, I didn't like being doubted, and I also wanted her to trust and believe me when I said there was completely nothing between Carla and I.

"So, this is the famous ex-convict." Lena drawled out beside me, a sarcastic smile across her lips.

Carla only rolled her eyes. "I see I'm more famous than I realized because you clearly know me but I don't know you. Who might you be?"

That hit home to Lena and she stiffened, no longer smiling. She had always wanted to accompany me on outings, so she could improve her social media presence but I had always refused.

"Don't delude yourself, you're only famous for theft and being jailed! And I saw the news this morning. Your husband is Apparently divorcing you for someone else." Lena hurled back at Carla.

I sighed, already having a headache.

I was surprised to not see any hurt flashover Carla's face. Does she not feel anything for Dave anymore? 

"Anything else you want to inform me about myself that I don't already know?" Carla bit back, surprising me because she used to be quite timid while growing up. It's shocking to see her standing her ground like this.

Before Lena could respond, I spoke up.

"Carla, meet Lena. She's a friend." I introduced Lena, knowing she badly wanted the girlfriend tag, but I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready for that.

"Lena, Carla."

"A friend... that you fuck? Do you fuck all your female friends, Zade?" Carla asked and Lena stiffened beside me.

I ignored Carla's question and tugged Lena along with me out of the sitting room till we were in my bedroom. Then I let go of her and leveled her with a pointed look.

"I don't like that back and forth, it's childish and disappointing of you, because I instantly knew what you were trying to do." I said flatly and she sighed, her chin jutted out.

"I just wanted to introduce myself." She defended herself but I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I meant, and I don't want a repeat, okay? I already said I was gonna make her pay for being an accomplice of Dave, but these back and forth won't change anything so it's pointless."

Lena finally nodded and came to wrap her arms around my waist. "I'm sorry, baby. I just got a little jealous, that's why."

I nodded and stroked her back. "But there's no need to, I already explained it all to you."

She sighed again then pouted. "You introduced me as a friend. It was humiliating and that bitch would only look down on me on moving forward."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"She won't." I assured her.

"But are you sure about this though? Remember her damaged reputation, this won't look good on you or your company." She explained and I hummed. I already thought of that and I was already working on taking care of it

"I'm aware and I'm working on it. I won't be affected." I assured her and she reluctantly nodded after sighing again.

"Would we have fun tonight though? That's why you invited me over, right?"

I shook my head, feeling regretful because I did invite her for that reason.

"I have so much to work on tonight so that can't be possible, but I'll send a car to come pick you tomorrow, okay?"

She wanted to argue but later decided on nodding in understanding. After a few more exchanges, I began to see her out the door. She demanded a goodbye kiss. I don't usually indulge it because outside of sex, I wasn't fond of things like that. But tonight, I leaned down and pressed a quick kiss against her lips that made her grin brightly. She only casted Carla a glance before walking past the sitting room. After she was gone, I headed back into the sitting room and motioned Carla over. 

She was sitting on the couch but reluctantly sauntered over, which made me scoff.

"Where are we going?" She asked when I wordlessly began to walk down the hallways, with her falling into steps behind me.

"To my niece, Ella."

         When I stepped into the room, Carla hesitated for a moment before stepping in. She was clearly nervous as she glanced around the room packed to the brim with different toys.

I instantly headed for Ella.

Ella was four. She was perched in her bed, playing with a stuffed toy. When she noticed me, recognition showed in her eyes and she briefly smiled but that was it. That was I got from her everyday and nothing more. 

I crouched before her and smiled, softening my voice and praying that this works out. 

"Sweetheart, I want you to meet someone, okay?"

Her eyes filled with confusion. She could hear well, she just refused to speak for almost a year.

When I motioned for Carla to approach, she hesitantly stepped forward till she was before me. I noticed the moment Ella's eyes landed on Carla's face. Her eyes flew wide and so many emotions rushed over her face at once.

Then she was bursting into tears while uttering a single word, hands outstretched towards a frozen Carla.

"Mommy."

I was transfixed by the sight. Ella was speaking over and over again. 

Carla was clearly in shock, her mouth and eyes wide open.

Before I could attempt to do anything, Carla shocked me as she stepped forward and took a sobbing Ella in her arms and held her against her chest as she cried. My mouth dried up as I watched the sight unfold before me, Carla was gently shushing Carla while gently massaging her back. Ella was crying hard and tightly clinging onto Carla's shirt, like she didn't want her to suddenly leave.

When I noticed tears silently streaming down Carla's face as she comforted Ella, her eyes closed as she moved around with the kid, I was consumed with something warm and light, flooding my chest at once.

The sight was just so... soft and intimate. So vulnerable. Even with tears running down her face, she was still so beautiful. That was something that always stood out to me about her since we were kids- she was unbelievably beautiful.

A bitter feeling soon replaced the warmth. A stranger witnessing this sight won't know that someone this beautiful could ever become a criminal and an accomplice of murder. 

Who could have thought that shy, innocent Carla would grow up into a criminal?

At the end of the day, this was proof that looks could really be deceiving. 

~~~

     After Ella finally fell asleep, Carla and I stepped out of the room, and I led her straight into my office so we could sign the contract. If I had any doubt of this plan, watching Carla with Ella had just eliminated all those thoughts. She was clearly the perfect one for Ella. 

She claimed to not be good with kids, but that had clearly been a lie. No nanny had ever connected with Ella this way, and I've ran through over fifty Nannies for Ella. 

Lena absolutely sucked with Ella and I never tried after that one time Lena called her weird right in my presence because she wouldn't speak.

I presented her with the contracts and showed her where she'd sighed. But she asked if she could sit because she wanted to thoroughly read through it first. 

She's clearly smarter than I anticipated.

After about twenty minutes, she put the contracts down and spoke. "Would I return back to jail after the marriage is over?" She asked.

"Of course. Your sentence is two years, you'll stay married to me for one, then do one year in jail." I responded and she frowned.

"Then I can't sign the contract." She declared and I instantly narrowed my eyes at her.

"I might be trapped in this situation with no choice but I refuse. I can't go to jail back after spending a year being in a contract marriage with you. If you can't alter that clause and still insist, then you might as well send me back to jail." She breathed out, eyes never breaking from mine.

I was actually impressed. I didn't know if she was suddenly this bold because she has now seen that I won't want her gone after seeing how she and Ella connected.

I wordlessly reached for a pen and altered the clause. After that, she wordlessly signed it and got to her feet.

"You're now my wife now. From Carla Van Grande to Carla Dalton Gomez."   

That sent a little rush through my veins before disappearing.

She jutted out her chin as she spoke. "Only on paper." 

I scoffed and pocketed my hands. "Of course."

"I'm technically still married to Dave since the divorce papers are yet to be signed and all." She pointed out as we exited my office.

"I'll have one drawn up in a few days. Do you have any questions?" I asked and she shook her head.

"I'll give you a list of rules tomorrow, but right now, I'll be showing you to your room."

"There are rules I'll have to follow?" She demanded and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course there are. Isn't that already a given?"

She didn't respond and I stopped by the room beside Ella's and turned towards her. "You'll be staying here, and if you do anything to hurt Ella, I promise that I'd..."

"Are you serious? Why the fuck would I hurt a child? Do you think that little of me?" She demanded, sounding insulted.

"I just can't put anything past criminals. That's only logical."

She bristled. "I'm not a criminal and I'd never ever do something as cruel as hurting a child!"

I pursed my lips and responded. "I'll be the judge of that."

She glowered at me this time, her hands fisted at her sides and her chest heaving. "Oh my god, I hate you so fucking much."

I didn't know what came over me, perhaps it was the way her cat shaped eyes glared at me, but in the next moment, I stepped forward, cornering her right into the wall. I leaned down and placed a hand on the spot right above her head, then I reached for her chin with my second hand and tilted her head up so our eyes locked.

"Might I remind you that I spent millions of dollars on your head this morning? Watch how you speak to me." 

As I spoke, her eyes still flashed fire my way before they slowly dimmed and she tensely nodded, the glare still present on her face.

My eyes briefly dropped to her mouth before I continued.

"And for the record, I also hate you."

After those words left my mouth, I dropped her chin and stepped away. My gaze briefly dropped on her slowly heaving chest before I turned away, heading for my own bedroom.

The last thing that flashed before my mind as I stepped into my bedroom were her plump lips and her hazel eyes.

Carla

      When I woke up the next morning, I thought that all that happened the previous day was nothing but a dream. However, the sight of the unfamiliar room was a reminder of how my life drastically changed yesterday.

As I showered, I tried to imagine how the rest of my life was gonna go in the next one year. I had a feeling I was gonna suffer one way or the other before the year is up, and now that I've signed the wretched contract, there was no turning back. I couldn't even dare to run away again else I had a death wish.

I had a feeling Zade had another motive aside from the one he revealed to me. Someone like him couldn't be trusted at all, he was a literal devil, one that I loathed with everything within me.

After dressing up, I reminded myself that I'll still figure this out no matter how tough it might get for me. With that in mind, I stepped out of the bedroom and walked right into the room next to me, which belonged to Ella.

Ella.

Zade's niece.

My heart ached in my chest as my eyes settled on her. She was being fed breakfast by her nanny, and she was clutching a doll tightly against her chest. 

As I walked towards where they were seated, as soon as her eyes landed on me, she was beaming brightly and throwing her little hands in the air.

"Mommy!"

My heart stuttered in my chest before it squeezed tightly and for a moment, my eyes stung with tears. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to that. 

The grin on my face right now wobbled as I got to her side and picked her up, then I rocked her against my chest.

"Hi, baby Ella." I crooned in a quiet voice, staring into her large blue eyes which were filled with so many winders as she looked up at me.

"Mommy." She said again, her eyes bright and I nodded, feeling extremely horrible on the insides that I was lying to her. 

But it was only because I had no choice.

"Yes, Ella. It's mommy. Mommy's here now." I murmured as I stroked her chest. She rested her head against my chest as her eyes fell close and I continued to rock her around.

I was thankful that she wasn't crying today like she did yesterday. Although, a little part of me had hoped she'd not call me 'mommy' today, so Zade could see no use for me and decided to discard me. But I had quickly discarded that thought because if Zade sees no use for me, he'll return me back to prison, and no matter how horrible Zade is, being forced to get into a contract marriage with him was way better than being locked up in prison for another two years.

I was still rocking Ella when the door suddenly opened, and Zade's cologne filled up the room immediately before I turned around to stare at him. The sight of him made me swallow emptily as a small shiver rolled down my spine, there was something unreadable in his eyes, which I couldn't recognize, then he was walking towards me in the next moment and stroking Ella's cheek once he was at my side.

I swallowed emptily again and tried not to breathe his cologne in, but it was impossible since he was standing so close to me, that I could feel his body heat.

"Hello, Angel." He cooed down at Ella, a beautiful grin on his face that knocked the breath out of my lungs.

Since we crossed paths again, this is the first time I'd be seeing him smile, which made him look completely different than the imposing and ruthless tycoon that he currently is. 

The smile reminded me of the one he usually gave me while teasing me relentlessly, when we were still young.

Ella offered him a smile and the sight warmed my heart. 

So, she could indeed hear. She just refused to speak, till I showed up.

Why is that? I haven't the slightest idea.

After I returned her to the nanny, I waved at her and Zade kissed her head, then we stepped out of the room together, a tense silence between us.

As I walked behind him, I was reminded of the little argument that transpired between us last night and how he trapped me against the wall.

I ended up shoving the thought away, feeling irritated at myself for even thinking about that again.

"So, what's gonna happen now?" I asked once we arrived in the sitting room. 

"We'll start planning a wedding now, which would take place in a week." He responded bristly, his voice cold.

I swallowed emptily as dread curled within me. Married on paper was one thing, but having a wedding and all was a different thing entirely.

"Do we have to hold a wedding?" I muttered and his eyes brightly narrowed at me.

"Absolutely, and it needs to be very big." He paused before continuing. "We'll go ring shopping today."

"I don't want a big wedding." I mumbled and he scoffed out a laugh.

"Well, too bad you don't have a say in this situation. We'll start appearing in public as soon as possible so a sudden marriage wouldn't seem out of place." He pointed out and my eyes widened in shock at his second sentence.

He was gonna start appearing in public with me?

I was beyond shocked by that because that's something I hadn't even thought about, but like Dave, I had assumed Zade wouldn't want to appear in public with me to avoid ruining his image with my presence being linked to him in any way.

I begged Dave to take me out with me after leaving prison but he never agreed despite all my insisting. But now Zade was willing to do that, without me asking, but at what cost?

I was still deep in thoughts when his next words pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Now, I'll give you the list of rules you're to follow on moving forward." He announced and I let out a silent groan.

Before he could begin, my phone rang in my pocket and I frowned as I pulled it out, wondering who it could be because no one calls my phone after getting it back since I left prison. 

I glanced at the phone screen.

My eyes widened in surprise, before a strong wave of hatred came over me.

It was Dave.

That scheming bastard!

Why was he calling me?

I ignored the call till it stopped ringing, then I focused on Zade again.

"First, you'll never step into my bedroom no matter what." He began and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. Why the fuck would I want to do that?

"It's only a contract marriage on paper and nothing else. There'd be nothing like sex or love between us, always keep that at the back of your mind." He continued and I pursed my lips as I folded my hands.

"Of course. I want nothing of that either." I pointed out and his eyes narrowed at me again before he continued.

"You'll never reveal to anyone that this is a contract marriage. To the Public, we're in love and that's how it would be." He continued and I coughed awkwardly as I nodded.

In love my foot.

"In public, I'd get handsy with you." He explained and my eyes widened as he began to walk towards me. My heart hammered against my ribs as I took a step backward but he stepped forward as well, taking a step forward as I kept taking a step backward, till my back was flushed against the wall and he towered over me. 

He tilted my chin up and I swallowed emptily as he continued to speak. "I'll come this close to you in public."

His hand moved from my chin to my shoulder, then down my back to settle on my waist.

"I'll touch you like this in public at all times. To them, I can't get enough of you and vise versa,"

I was breathing hard and was too jilttery to get a word out and all I kept doing was to nod after nod.

He leaned down and I tried to avert my gaze, but his second hand settled on my chin, holding my head in place as he continued, his voice lowered. His face was so close to me this time, and his breath hit my mouth this time.

"In public, I'll kiss you, and you'll go along with it since we're supposed to be happily married." 

"O- okay." I squeaked out, wanting him to finally move away from me because it feels like I couldn't breathe with him being this close to me.

At that moment, my phone rang again and he finally pulled away, demanding who it was. 

I was breathing hard and my hand shook a little as I fished my phone out from my pocket, and the caller turned out to be Dave again.

"It's- it's my ex husband." I breathed out, my voice sounding high pitched than usual.

A scowl appeared on his face as he spoke.

"Answer it."